Friday, March 11, 2005

"'Out Syria! Out Syria! Out Syria!' cried the crowd. 'We're revolutionaries!' said my friend happily. But I felt a bit gypped. Everybody around me was young, good-looking, having fun, but that wasn't really what I had had in mind. It felt less like a national protest than a pop concert."

"Bouncers in black bomber jackets wore laminated Independence '05 cards round their necks. A man in a black flying suit with blond highlights, mirrored Oakley sunglasses, and an earpiece seemed to be conducting the crowd."

"Eventually I worked out what was bothering me. 'This whole thing is for the cameras,' I said to my friend. 'It's a television show.' 'Don't be so cynical,' she said. 'It's a celebration – they brought down the government, remember.'"